A cagey opening quarter to the game saw little in the way of chances before Gainsborough started to stamp their authority on the game, wing backs Jamie Green and Sam Topliss getting forward to support the attack. Topliss finding Gavin Allott inside the Whitby box, but a last-ditch intervention saw the ball out for a Trinity corner. Playing with tempo high in the final third, Simon Russell was able to keep the ball for Trinity, nodding the ball down into the path of Worsfold and as he looked for space to shoot, he got a shot away, back across the face of the helpless goalkeeper, to put Trinity in front.

Going a goal down sparked a response from the Seasiders, but Matthew Tymon’s effort deflected away for a corner, but Whitby couldn’t sustain the pressure. Gavin Allott met a Jamie Green cross from the left, hitting the target, his header lacked power and didn’t trouble Bland, before Kingsley James saw his effort charged down by Kieran Weledji after Harry Middleton’s left footed centre caused the visitors no end of difficulty.

With Gavin Allott and Ashley Worsfold’s relentless hustle and bustle of the Town back line, Allott fashioned a chance for his strike partner: Worsfold, with his back to goal, took the ball under his spell and turned neatly smashing an unstoppable finish high into Bland’s goal, before he could move!

Two minutes before the break, Joe Green was called into action. Saving from point blank range as visiting skipper Tymon arrived six yards out, he connected well with Sukar’s centre, but Green was equal to the effort, keeping his clean sheet intact.

Half time: Gainsborough Trinity 2 Whitby Town 0

Worsfold had the chance to complete his hat-trick four minutes into the second half, Joe Green’s long free-kick forward was helped on by Allott, but with the angle decreasing, Bland did well to stand up and deny Worsfold a superb treble.

On 53 Tymon was denied again by the legs of ‘keeper, Green. With Whitby beginning to ramp up the pressure, the Trinity defence was beginning to endure a thorough examination. A free kick from the Seasiders’ right, met by that man Tymon again, but he was unable to steer his header on target. Playing out from the back, the visitors took chances. Kingsley James reading a play well and was only millimetres away from threading a pass through for Worsfold as the Holy Blues absorbed pressure well, yet still looked a threat going forwards.

With 69 on the clock, Gainsborough were forced into a reshuffle, as Jamie Green saw red for a second late challenge. Blues’ boss Liam King quickly made the change, bringing on Thomas Davie at the heart of the defence and Davie was immediately into the action, putting his head in where it hurts. With the free man, Whitby’s Sukar had time to send over a stream of centres, but Messers Hotte, Stainfield & Davie (having replaced Maguire) withstood the bombardment.

Tymon found Bradley Fewster with a deft chipped cross, but Fewster couldn’t time his leap and failed to trouble the Gainsborough ‘keeper. Gavin Allott could have put a gloss on the score-line, when he almost profited from tenacious play by Simon Russell. As the midfielder snapped around the heels of Adam Gell in the middle of the park, Gell’s ball was loose and Allott looked to profit, racing half the length of the field. Exchanging passes with Russell, he twice saw efforts saved by Bland, as Whitby continued trying to find a way past the Trinity rear-guard.

Full time: Gainsborough Trinity 2 Whitby Town 0

Teams & Schemes

Gainsborough Trinity: Joe Green, Sam Topliss, Jamie Green, Nathan Hotte (C), Joe Maguire (Thomas Davie), Nathan Stainfield, Harry Middleton (Shane Clarke), Simon Russell, Ashley Worsfold (Curtis Morrison), Gavin Allott, Kingsley James. Subs not used: Brodie Litchfield, Ross Hannah.

Goals: Ashley Worsfold 27 and 41
Yellow cards: Jamie Green, Thomas Davie, Kingsley James (all fouls)
Red card: Jamie Green (second bookable offence)

Whitby Town: Shane Bland, Arron Wearmouth, Jassem Sukar, Kieran Weledji, Luke Blythway, Corey Roper, Adam Gell, Dale Hopson, Bradley Fewster, Matthew Tymon, Daniel Rowe. Subs not used: Daniel Dixon and Ben Kitchen.

Referee: Luke Watson
Assistant Referees: Michael Corbally & Liam Smith
Man of the Match, as chosen by this evening’s Ball Sponsor Harry Watts, is Ashley Worsfold